The Potters have lost three of their seven matches and sit just three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in the Premier League table, despite residing 16th.

"Our form has been brilliant, apart from Sunderland," The Sentinel quotes Shawcross as saying. "If you look at the table, we are only four points off the top four, which we would have taken at the start of the season.

"It's up to us to keep on picking up points so that come January time we can kick on like we did last year."